Education and science & technology

At the end of 2023, there were 21 institutions offering postgraduate programs, 121 institutions of higher learning (independent colleges included), 245 vocational secondary schools (skilled workers schools excluded), 676 regular senior secondary schools and 2,763 junior secondary schools with the enrollment rate of 100 percent, and 6,218 elementary schools with the enrollment rate of 100 percent.

At the end of 2023, there were altogether 5.033 million professional and technical personnel in Anhui, with 530,000 high-level talents. The province had 8,571 scientific research institutions, and 375,000 professionals were engaged in scientific research and development.

The province has established three national large-scale scientific facilities including Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, Steady High Magnetic Field Facility and Synchrotron Radiation Lab. There are 15 national key laboratories (national research centers included), 286 key labs at provincial level, 413 engineering research centers at the provincial level or above with 9 state-level ones, 20 high & new tech industrial development zones at the provincial level or above with 8 national ones.

In 2023, achievements of science and technology were made in 23,219 projects, of which 1,111 projects were supported by financial funds. 143,000 patents were authorized, up by 8.9 percent over the previous year. At the end of 2023, the number of valid patents was 173,000. The signed technology transferred outside contracts represented 333.95 billion yuan, up by 50.7 percent, while the signed technology introduced contracts represented 473.42 billion yuan, up by 54.2 percent.

At the end of 2023, there were 1,762 qualified inspection agencies, including 26 national quality inspection centers. There were 86 agencies for product quality and management system and service certification (branch offices in Anhui included), and 1,409 enterprises completing compulsory certification. A total of 80 legal and authorized metrological verification institutions enforced compulsory inspection on 9.232 million instruments in 2023. 74 international standards, 4,767 national standards and 4,023 local standards were developed or revised in 2023. There were 86 national geographical indication products and 1.324 million valid registered trademarks.